A Long Walk Back Home
by Sardixiis
Summary: It should have been a simple speaking engagement. Admittedly no speaking engagement as the President of the United States was simple, but it shouldn't have been this bad. One moment Elizabeth had been speaking. The next, all she knew was darkness.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Welcome to A Long Walk Back Home! I've been working on this thing for absolute ages. It's been so long, in fact, that I doubt the people I initially asked questions to pertaining to this story even remember my asking. This thing was supposed to be a nice long oneshot. Instead it turned into a 12,000 word beast. Yeah. Why am I not surprised? I hope you all enjoy this fun little foray. It's not my usual type of writing, but I think it turned out alright anyway!_

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**A Long Walk Back Home**

Chapter One

_Breaking News_

An explosion at the renewable energy conference in Virginia resulted in a partial building collapse today. Three have been confirmed dead and over a dozen are still missing. President McCord, who was scheduled to speak at the conference, is among the missing presumed to be within the rubble. Rescue efforts are still underway and first responders are hoping to find some of the missing still alive. The FBI are also continuing their investigation into the cause of the disaster but nothing has been determined as of yet.

O . o . O . o . O

Elizabeth remembered an explosion. Then a concussive blast and flash of pain. Now there was nothing, and she really meant nothing. No pain, no sound, no light. She was in an utter void, like a vacuum where everything had been sucked away. It sent a shiver through her. Something was distinctly wrong. Only a moment ago she'd been giving a speech to hundreds of people in Virginia, but she definitely wasn't there anymore. Unfortunately there were no clues to indicate where she was. No matter which direction she turned there was only emptiness.

"Hello?" she called out in hopes that someone might hear her.

The effort brought her absolutely no response. Only darkness and silence greeted her. Did she simply wait and hope there was some indication of where to go in time or did she pick a direction and start walking? Elizabeth hated the thought of waiting around with no plan. It just wasn't in her. The problem was she also knew that moving forward into the unknown with no plan could backfire on her terribly. If she picked the wrong direction she might never know until it was too late. A little voice inside her head whispered that it might already be too late, but she forcibly ignored that. It wasn't a thought that would do her any good to consider.

When she first caught the familiar sound of hooves she thought she was hearing things. It had to be her brain making things up in its desperation. As the noise continued, however, she found she couldn't ignore it. Swiveling around, she strained her eyes into the darkness to try and find the source. The sound wasn't coming from a clear direction though, and she couldn't see a thing. Despite that Elizabeth knew what she was hearing was a horse. She'd been around them long enough to recognize that rhythmic clicking of hooves and soft chuffs of breath. A smile slid across her face as whiskers scratched the side of her neck and warm breath washed over her cheek. She reached up to brush the velvety nose that was nearly resting on her shoulder. The horse nickered at her touch, and Elizabeth's heart nearly melted.

"Buttercup?"

It had to be. She would know her boy anywhere. His head turned and he rubbed hard against her shoulder, nearly knocking her over in the process. Elizabeth laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck before burying her face against his coat. She still had no idea where she was or what was happening, but having Buttercup nearby calmed her.

"Hey, boy."

Buttercup pulled away from her and started dancing circles around her, mane flying with each toss of his head. He stopped right in front of her, snorting and pawing the ground. While Elizabeth didn't speak horse, thanks to all the years they'd been together she did speak Buttercup. She knew just what he wanted.

"You want me to go for a ride."

He snorted again and nudged her toward his back with his nose. Grinning, Elizabeth rested one hand on his withers and the other on his back. It had been a long time since she had last mounted from the ground, and even then it had been with the help of a stirrup. She wasn't sure if she would be able to haul herself up onto his back, and if she did, it certainly wouldn't be elegant in any manner. Without any other options though, she had to give it a try. After three bounces she pushed herself up and threw her leg over his back in one fluid motion with almost unnatural ease. It had been far simpler than it should have been as she'd nearly floated up onto Buttercup's back, but Elizabeth wasn't going to question it. Once she was settled Buttercup started off. She still couldn't see a thing, but Buttercup was navigating like they were back on the trails behind the farm in broad daylight. She'd always trusted him implicitly, and that wouldn't change now.

How long they rode Elizabeth had no idea. Time didn't appear to have much meaning wherever she was. They could have been walking for a few minutes or a few days. It would have felt the same. Eventually Buttercup came to a stop and refused to move forward no matter how much Elizabeth clicked to him and pressed her heels to his sides. Instead he turned his head and nudged at her foot. Understanding what he wanted, as usual, Elizabeth slipped down from his back and stroked his neck. He nuzzled her face and lipped at her hair before dropping his head over her shoulder and touching her back with his muzzle in his version of a hug. Knowing this was goodbye for a second time, Elizabeth twined her fingers into his mane and held on tight.

It took her a long time to convince herself to let go. She didn't want to say goodbye now any more than she had the first time. Saying goodbye would mean being alone once more too, and that wasn't appealing either. Eventually she loosened her grip on his mane and planted a last kiss on the tip of his nose before stepping away.

"I love you, Buttercup. Thank you."

He nickered to her one final time before turning to trot off into the darkness. Elizabeth watched her horse until even his tail disappeared from sight. She barely even had time to register the fact that she was alone in the unknown again when a deep voice called out to her and made her jump.

"What are you doing here, girlie? You don't belong here."

Startled from the gruff greeting, Elizabeth whirled around to face her father in law.

"Patrick."

She moved toward him, finding comfort in his presence despite his typical gruff demeanor. He was the first one she'd seen since she'd found herself in this strange unknown world. Hopefully he would be able to give her some answers, though she feared to discover some of them. The picture she'd been able to put together so far from the few pieces she had wasn't a pretty one. Adding Patrick to that equation didn't change the outcome at all. If anything, it only supported her hypothesis, which wasn't a good thing for once.

"Where… where am I?"

"Oh, I think you're smart enough to figure that one out on your own."

Elizabeth flinched. So she _was_ dead. It was the only thing that made sense considering the setting she was in and who she had met so far, but she hadn't wanted to believe it. Now she couldn't deny the truth. It was an incredibly painful truth too. Her mind refused to consider what that meant for her or her family. Instead the only thought it spit out was that she was the shortest term president in US history. It was a much safer thought. One far less emotionally loaded than the others even though it wasn't pleasant either. She'd really wanted to make her mark as a President, but now she wouldn't have that opportunity.

"The afterlife of some sort," she whispered.

"More the space in between life and the afterlife," Patrick corrected. "Like I told you. You don't belong here."

A spark of hope ignited inside her, though she was careful to keep it well contained. If she didn't belong here, did that mean she wasn't actually dead?

"I don't understand."

"And I don't have the time to explain it. Or more you don't. You've got to keep on walking."

"What do you mean?"

"What, have you gone senile in the years since I've been gone? Keep walking! It's the only way for you to get home, and you need to do that. Don't you dare leave my son, you hear me?"

Incredibly irritated with Patrick's question and the lack of information, Elizabeth glared at him. Would it kill him to actually give her full answers instead of disconnected pieces? It took all of her self-control to answer civilly.

"Yes. I hear you."

"Then get going!"

He was already trying to shoo her away. There was never any arguing with Patrick McCord, so Elizabeth didn't even bother trying. If he said she needed to keep moving in order to get back home, then she was going to listen to him. Left with no other choice but to obey, Elizabeth didn't even have the chance to tell Patrick anything else. No thank you. No goodbye. Not even one of the many comments or questions about his death that she or Henry wanted to know.

She started away in the direction he was pointing and tried not to let the lack of any sensory information unsettle her. Elizabeth had barely gotten more than a few feet away when Patrick called out to her.

"And Elizabeth?"

She paused and glanced back over her shoulder at him.

"Damn proud of what you've achieved. Make me prouder by not forgetting the little people who work hard for everything they have. Most presidents don't care about us normal folk. Be one who doesn't forget."

"I will. I promise."

Elizabeth lifted her hand in farewell and started away once more. Again she only got a few more feet away before Patrick's voice brought her to a stop.

"And look after my boy! He needs you."

Tears filled Elizabeth's eyes and she nodded at her father in law. That was the first time he'd ever made any real comment about her holding an important place in his family, and it meant a lot to her even if it was said simply for her husband's well-being and not her own.

"Always."

This time when she turned away she didn't look back. With a small, contented smile on her face she continued forward into the darkness and hopefully toward home again. As Patrick had said, she couldn't leave Henry. If there was any chance of getting back to him, she would face whatever she had to in order to do so.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Was she going the right direction? There was no way to tell. Elizabeth could be going in circles for all she knew. Everything looked the same. With absolutely nothing as a guide, she could have veered way off track ages ago and never would have known. It left her with another difficult decision. She could keep going and risk getting further away from where she was supposed to be, or she could try to turn back. There was an equal chance for either option being the wrong choice, especially since she didn't have a very clear idea of where she was supposed to be going. Just as she was about to glance behind her a different voice drifted out of the darkness and stopped her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Elizabeth jumped in surprise once again. One moment there had been nobody there and the next she was facing a fallen friend.

"Anton?"

Anton Gorev was standing right in front of her, hands tucked behind his back and a smile on his face. She still couldn't understand how there could be no indication of anyone nearby until they were standing right in front of her in plain view. There had been no sign of light or even movement in the endless darkness prior to this moment, yet here Anton was. She could see him perfectly clearly. Normally that would mean she should be able to see something about his surroundings too, but she couldn't. Elizabeth couldn't even see the ground beneath his feet. The lack of visibility made no sense. Then again, none of this made any sense.

"Hello, Elizabeth."

Anton's greeting sounded like they were meeting back in her office in DC under normal circumstances. That definitely wasn't what this meeting was, and Elizabeth wasn't about to continue the basic, pleasant conversation that Anton had started. Instead she wanted answers. Patrick hadn't given her any, and she wasn't about to let this second opportunity slip by her.

"What are you talking about? You wouldn't do what?"

His smile widened and light glinted in his eyes. It was an expression Elizabeth recognized even though it had been years since she'd seen it given how long ago Anton had died. The humor on his face almost made her nervous. Typically she saw it when he and Russia were about to pull some stunt on her. What it could amount to now she had no idea.

"I wouldn't turn around. As pleased as I am to see you, I wouldn't want you to stay here."

Elizabeth's jaw dropped open. It would have been nice if Patrick had mentioned that little detail. Of course it had probably seemed unnecessary to him. Her father in law would have never considered turning back. He was one to keep plowing ahead regardless of what stood in his way or what the signs were telling him. Even so, he definitely should have told her that turning back could result in her being trapped here. It was rather important information that any normal person would have shared right away.

"You're kidding."

"Hardly. As I said, I don't want you to stay here. If you are here then you can't continue looking after Olga, and I know you've been doing that. I appreciate it more than I can express. I hope you will continue to do so."

"Of course, Anton. We're happy to. Olga is a wonderful girl and deserves to have someone looking out for her. I just wish that someone could have been you."

"As do I, but to have the president of the United States looking after you is a high honor. Congratulations on your appointment, by the way. It's too bad things didn't work out the way I had planned. We would have made a good team. Changed the course of history together."

"I wish that could have been the case too."

Anton nodded once before waving away the concern over the lost opportunity. It was not something worth focusing on at the moment.

"Regardless, you've never had a problem changing history on your own. You're really quite good at it."

"You mean that in a good way, I hope," Elizabeth laughed.

"Of course. You will be an amazing president, Elizabeth. One that Russia will not be able to take advantage of, which is a good thing really. Perhaps it will force our two countries to become friends instead of enemies."

That might be hoping for a little bit too much in Elizabeth's opinion. She had become friends with Anton, but he was the exception. Even though she'd been able to work with Constantine, she wouldn't have called their relationship friendly. Despite the limited friendliness, it had probably been the best relationship between an American and Russian politician that existed. That said something about how well they managed to get along. No matter how good Elizabeth was, the years of mistrust between their two countries wouldn't be easily changed. Friendship might be setting the bar way too high, even for her.

"Friendly, at least."

"That would be a good start, yes."

Anton held his hand out for her. When she grasped it, he placed his other hand over the back of hers and held tight.

"You must go now, but I wish you the best of luck, Elizabeth. Don't look back. Not until you're back home. And even then, look forward. Looking back won't get you anywhere."

"Thank you, Anton. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Elizabeth," he replied as he let go of her hands.

As Elizabeth started walking away she couldn't help thinking how strange it was that in this moment she had a chance to say goodbye to her friend even though she hadn't had that opportunity when they'd both been alive. Of course it was even stranger to consider that she was using those words "been alive" in relation to herself. That was still something she didn't really want to think about and pushed it out of her mind. Focusing on not turning around and continuing on into the unknown was going to be enough to think about, and it would do a good job of keeping her distracted from her apparent death. Or whatever the heck this was.

It soon became more than just not turning around that occupied her mind as she continued walking. She'd always enjoyed math, and so much of math was patterns. There were patterns to what she was experiencing now too. All of those pieces were slowly clicking into place. Elizabeth was starting to get a feel for when her "guides" would show up. There was a pattern to the timing. It seemed like whenever she had been walking alone for a while and started to wonder whether she would have to make the rest of this unknown trek by herself someone from her past would appear out of the ether. She was starting to see a pattern in who was showing up too, and now her mind was truly whirling. Never in a million years had she thought she would get the chance to speak to the friends she had lost throughout her life again, and she didn't know what to say. After all, some of them had died because of her. What could you possibly say in that scenario? Elizabeth had absolutely no idea. Nothing would ever feel like enough.

"Glad to see you, Ma'am. For a moment I was worried you wouldn't show up. You do have a habit of skirting the rules and making your own parameters."

Elizabeth's heart clenched and for a moment she couldn't breathe. The whole Iran coup disaster had been chaotic. Everything had happened all at once and putting together an exact order of events had been impossible. Until this moment she'd thought Fred Cole had died first. Apparently she'd been wrong.

When her next guide had been about to show up, she'd been expecting Javani. He would have been bad enough. To face her former security agent, someone who had died literally because of her decisions? She wasn't ready for that, especially not since she'd been focused on what she should say to Javani. Of course, she highly doubted any amount of time would feel like enough to face the man who had died to save her. Yet here he was, standing right in front of her whether she was ready or not.

Her whole body began trembling and she had to place her hands on bent knees to brace herself as everything came rushing back. Fred's voice as the explosions started. His weight on her back as he tackled her to the ground. The blank, glazed look to his eyes when she realized he was gone. Elizabeth could never forget. The fault for Fred's death lay squarely at her feet and no one else's.

With her guilt raging, Elizabeth didn't notice Fred's approach until he rested his hands on her arms to try and calm her. Initially she flinched, but as his grip on her arms tightened it acted to ground her.

"Enough, Ma'am. You've beaten yourself up far too much for my death already."

She looked up at him, guilt still etched across her features.

"How can you say that? If I hadn't insisted upon going to Iran you would still be alive."

"Perhaps. Or perhaps we would be in the middle of a nuclear war with Iran because you didn't go and I would be dead anyway. You did what you needed to do, and it was the right choice."

"There are moments when it doesn't feel like the right choice."

Fred couldn't help but grin.

"Everyone has moments of doubt. I suspect you know better than to truly believe that it was the wrong decision," he told her. "The outcome wasn't perfect, but you've been in politics long enough to understand that most outcomes aren't perfect."

It was a painful thing to hear, but Elizabeth knew the truth behind his words. She couldn't deny them as much as she wanted to.

"I still hate that part of the job."

"That's what makes you so good at it."

Fred glanced off into the darkness that Elizabeth couldn't penetrate. Apparently he could see something out there even though she couldn't.

"Time is running short. It was an honor to save the Secretary of State. It is even more of an honor to know I saved the future President of the United States."

"You could have been the lead agent for the President," she replied, a sad smile crossing her face.

"Thank you, Ma'am, but that's not a job I envy anyone. Especially not when you're the one they have to protect."

Elizabeth burst into laughter. She couldn't deny that she had made diplomatic security's lives difficult. Even though she was working with the secret service now nothing had really changed. She still drove her agents absolutely crazy and never made the choice that would be easy for them to manage. Just like with Fred, there were moments when she saw the desire to throttle her or tie her up and throw her in a locked bunker flicker behind her lead security agent's eyes. She couldn't exactly blame him for that desire either.

"I'm aware that I'm not the easiest person to protect."

"You aren't, but normally you're difficult for good reasons so we accept the special challenges you present."

He couldn't help grinning at her with that slight dig. It didn't help Elizabeth bring her laughter back under control, but she appreciated that. It made seeing Fred again less painful.

"Before you leave, promise me you'll listen to them," Fred requested. "I don't want to see you here again for a long, long time."

He was still looking after her. Warmth flooded through Elizabeth and she reached out and gave Fred a quick hug. She wasn't technically his boss anymore, so she didn't feel wrong doing it.

"I promise I will try."

"That's probably the best I can ask from you."

"Probably."

Fred smiled and stepped back away from her.

"Good luck, Madam President. Go change the world."

Elizabeth was well aware that the only reason she was even around to have the chance to change the world was because of Fred. She definitely wasn't going to waste the opportunity he had given her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Elizabeth knew she wasn't supposed to look back and had to keep moving forward. Not looking back wasn't much of a challenge. Now that she knew she would eventually be met by another guide, there weren't any concerns about going the wrong direction and getting lost. There was only so far off track she could get before someone else showed up to redirect her, and nobody had actually needed to do that so far. The keep moving forward was starting to become a concern though. She could gather from what many she'd met had mentioned that she only had so much time to make it to wherever she was supposed to be going. What would happen if she didn't make it there on time she didn't know for sure, but she suspected she knew the answer anyway. The problem was she was starting to become incredibly tired. There were some moments when her feet felt encased in lead and picking them up became a near impossible task. Oddly enough, Elizabeth didn't feel remotely out of breath. She was experiencing more of a bone deep weariness.

Stumbling to a stop, Elizabeth hoped she was nearing the end of this experience. She wasn't sure how much more she could take. In that moment she would have sat down if she hadn't been concerned she wouldn't be able to get back up if she did. Her gut was telling her there was still a long way to go and she couldn't afford to stop, especially in a way that might stop her for good. No matter how difficult the situation, Elizabeth had never let anything beat her before. She wasn't about to start now. Forcing herself back into motion even though she could barely even drag her feet along the ground, she kept going.

Elizabeth hadn't gone much further – or at least she didn't think that she had – before she had to wonder if her exhaustion was making her mind play tricks on her. So far the only noises that she'd heard had come directly from her guides. Buttercup's footsteps and breaths. Speech from Patrick, Anton, and Fred. She hadn't been able to hear anything else, even sounds she'd tried to make, so it made no sense to be hearing music, especially music she wasn't all that familiar with. It sounded like ballroom music. The kind that people would dance to with a partner at extremely formal events. Hearing it sent an eerie feeling through her. It had to mean something after all, and she couldn't think of any good reasons why something so drastic would change. Maybe that was her warning that she was almost out of time? Legs trembling, she forced herself a few more steps, but it didn't pay off. She was so tired that her foot caught and she nearly wound up on the ground. Honestly, she had no idea how she caught herself and managed to stay on her feet. While she was trying to regain her balance and the motivation to keep going someone spoke from right next to her.

"May I offer you a dance?"

Elizabeth's head jerked up and her eyes met Zahed Javani's. He smiled warmly at her, hand held out in offer and completely unperturbed by their odd meeting. Then again, most of their meetings had been odd.

"We are supposed to be partners, after all. Or at least we were," he continued when she didn't respond. "You look like you could use a dance."

"Zahed…" She slid her hand into his and let him help her right herself, but that was the most she thought she could offer. "I don't think this is the best time for that, and even if it were, I wouldn't make a very good partner right now. I can barely stand up, let alone dance."

"Then it is the perfect time. It should give you the strength to keep going. Come."

Not giving her a choice, he pulled her forward and turned her stumbling steps into the first steps of a dance as he rested his hand on her hip. Left without any option now, Elizabeth let him lead her. The first steps were excruciating and she wound up clinging to him for support. As she danced, however, she discovered that Zahed had been right. Her strength was coming back and the heaviness that had settled over her body was easing considerably. Soon enough she was able to support herself and become an equal partner in their dance.

"Your exhaustion is because your real body is failing," Zahed explained once he was sure she was in a state that she could process what he was telling her. "Your connection to it, as tenuous as it was when you started down this path, is wearing down even further. However, no matter how much damage has been done to your real body, it doesn't matter here. The only thing that matters here is willpower. The old adage of, "If you have a will, then there is a way," applies well here, and you have never lacked willpower, Elizabeth."

"No, I haven't."

"Then use that to get you home. You have a life to live still. Whenever you feel as if you cannot go on, remember who is waiting for you there. Your husband. Your children. The entire United States, dare I say."

All of that was true, and Elizabeth knew she should listen to it and take his statement for what it was. Encouragement. The problem was, she couldn't help thinking of Zahed's wife and his children. He would never make it back to them. While she couldn't claim quite as direct a cause for his death as she could for Fred Cole's since the coup would have targeted him with or without her presence, she still felt partially to blame.

"And you were taken away from your wife and children."

It hurt to say, and it brought back the expression on Abdol's face after Zahed's death. That sliced into her heart even more. Seeing Abdol's complete devastation and being unable to get to him had been the defining moment in all the horror of that day in Iran. If Zahed had known what his son had gone through, she was confident he would despise her. There had been moments when she'd hated herself for not being able to do anything. There still were.

"Elizabeth."

When she looked up at his eyes she was stunned to see understanding there. Not just understanding, but the gravity of knowledge. While she didn't know how much he actually knew, it was clear he had some level of awareness of what had transpired after his death. Despite that, there was no judgement.

"Do not grieve for me. I am at peace and can watch my children grow even if I can no longer impact their lives."

"Your death profoundly impacted their lives."

"That it did, but they will grow stronger despite it, or perhaps because of it."

"But…"

She was stopped as Zahed's finger landed on her lips to silence her.

"No, Elizabeth. You are not to blame for what happened, nor can you continue to focus on it. You cannot lead by looking only to the past. The past is only meant to teach you so you do not make the same mistakes again. You are in the position now to make sure none of the mistakes between Iran and the United States happen again." He slowed their dance to a stop and released her. "Now go. You have much to do."

"Zahed…"

"Go, Elizabeth. It was a pleasure to get a chance to see you again. I wish you all the best."

Elizabeth took a deep breath to steady herself. She knew she needed to go, just as Zahed said, but it was hard to leave him behind. Survivor's guilt still plagued her.

"Goodbye, Zahed," she whispered before turning away and continuing on into the darkness.

At least she intended to do that. Zahed called out and stopped her.

"I do not fault you for anything that happened. Do not fault yourself either."

Her next breath shuddered through her body, and she struggled not to cry. Unable to face him when she was only holding on by a thread, Elizabeth lifted her hand in thanks. That didn't feel like enough though. He had just given her full redemption, after all. Whether she was ready to accept it at the moment didn't matter. Closing her raised hand into a fist, she thrust it high into the air. She would face her guilt, beat it, and move on. Just as he was asking.

As Elizabeth continued onward she did her best simply to not think about Iran. After years of trying not to let what had happened weigh her down, she knew she wasn't going to magically let go of her guilt in the next few minutes. That would take time. Thinking about Zahed didn't hurt as much anymore though, so that was a step in the right direction. Speaking with him again had made all the difference. Maybe now she would actually be able to move on from her experience or at least become a little more at peace with the outcome.

The big question in all of that was whether she would even get the opportunity to move on. It was still possible that she could die or was already dead. Zahed's explanation of why she'd been so tired left her wondering exactly what she was experiencing in life. Nothing good from the sound of it. If her body was failing then she must be hurt pretty badly. That was an odd thought since she wasn't in any pain here. The most she felt was fatigue, but like Zahed had told her that was easily overcome simply by putting her will to ignoring it. At first she'd figured if she actually died she would know it when it happened. Now she was beginning to wonder about that. If she couldn't feel anything else, would she be able to feel her death? Maybe she should start trying to work her way past her guilt over Zahed's death now, just in case.

She'd barely had the opportunity to think that before new guilt assaulted her. Her next guide had appeared out of the darkness, and he didn't look particularly pleased to see her.

"You can't be here, Lizzie."

Yousif Obaid stood in front of her looking incredibly serious and rather disappointed with her. That expression didn't last very long though. Only a moment after she'd registered who he was, a smile started tugging at the edge of his lips.

"At least one of us has to achieve our goal of changing the world."

Elizabeth's chest constricted and tears filled her eyes. Just seeing her friend would have been enough to make her cry, but he had just used nearly the same words she'd told him before he'd gone back to Bahrain. That made it so much worse. It was also a brutal reminder of just how Yousif had died. And why. If she hadn't pushed him and insisted that he do something, he would still be alive.

"Yousif…"

"Don't say it," he warned.

She blinked. So far she hadn't said a word to him other than speaking his name.

"What?"

"I know that look on your face, Lizzie. I know what you want to say, and I don't want to hear it. My death wasn't your fault, and I won't let you take the blame for it."

He had always known her incredibly well, but apparently he was basically able to read her mind now. She'd been planning to apologize profusely to him for what she had done. That intention had probably shown on her face. She had no reason to hide her guilt from her friend, and she was guilty. Incredibly guilty. Just because he didn't want to hear her apologies didn't mean she wasn't going to give them.

"If I hadn't pushed you…"

"Ah, now there you go ignoring my wishes. Is that any way to treat a friend you haven't seen in a few years?"

Elizabeth knew he was teasing. His quirky smile was a dead giveaway. Normally she would slug him in response to that or at the very least hit him with a heavy dose of sarcasm. This wasn't a normal discussion though. While Yousif was at the point that he could joke about his death, Elizabeth definitely wasn't. She couldn't let it go either.

"You were shot because…"

"Because I did the right thing," Yousif corrected before she could blame herself out loud. "You reminded me of what I was fighting for. To change the world and right all of the wrongs we had seen even as children. You didn't make that decision for me. I made my own choice, and it was the right one."

"How can you say it was the right one when you died?"

"Death does not alter whether a moral choice was right. Some things are worth risking your life for. That is a concept I know you understand."

She did understand. It was that very concept that had led her to Iran despite the risks involved.

"A press conference shouldn't have been a risk to your life."

"You do realize how ironic that sounds considering what brought you here."

"Oh come on, Joey. This isn't the same thing."

At least she didn't think that it was. She honestly wasn't sure what had happened. It was very possible the event had been a targeted attack on her. Even if it had been however, she hadn't been giving a speech about controversial topics or been pressured into taking a stand by someone else despite the risks she knew would be involved.

"Neither of us could have known my speech would be leaked or that it would result in my death. I don't blame you. I don't know how many times I need to say it before you believe me. If anything, Lizzie, I thank you for what you did. I had never wanted to live my life passively. Thanks to you I got back on the right path again, regardless of the consequences."

"I'm so sorry."

"As am I. For some things. But not for others. I am proud to have died doing something that would have moved my country forward. I do not regret it." He grinned at her and held his arms wide. "Now get over here at give me a hug."

Elizabeth laughed. She couldn't stay upset around Yousif. He had always had that kind of impact on her. If he was willing to let her off the hook for what she had done, then she was going to have to accept that. Instead of wasting whatever time she had left with him by focusing on her guilt, she was going to enjoy it. Smiling herself now, she tossed her arms around her friend's neck and held on tight.

"I've missed you," she whispered.

"You've managed quite well on your own without your co-captain to guide you through the tough spots."

Elizabeth pulled away and slapped at his chest in indignation.

"You have our positions reversed! I was always the one to get us out of the tough spots."

"I think something is wrong with your memory, Madam President."

"Hardly. Rather something is wrong with yours. After all, you did just say I was doing quite well on my own. That is evidence of that fact that I was the one to handle the difficult situations."

"Or you simply learned from the master."

And this was why she'd liked him so much. No matter what they were debating, no matter how ridiculous the argument, Yousif had always been able to come back with a smart retort or continued argument to anything she'd say. She wasn't exactly a pushover in that department either though.

"Be careful, Joey, or I'll retaliate and make you cry. I know all of your ticklish spots after all."

Yousif grinned widely, white teeth gleaming like a shark. That was the expression he'd always had on his face when he knew he had someone trapped. Seeing it directed at her now made Elizabeth incredibly nervous. She didn't see the trap he'd designed even though she was sure it had just snapped shut around her.

"Ah, Lizzie. I knew there was something wrong with your memory. That argument works both ways you know. I'm aware of all your ticklish spots too."

Elizabeth's jaw dropped open. He definitely had gotten her trapped, and it was in a most uncomfortable situation.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"I might," Yousif replied as his smile slid into a smirk. "If there were time. Unfortunately there is not. You need to keep moving, Lizzie."

That was true, and she knew it. Delaying wouldn't do her any good. In fact, it could cost her everything. She really didn't want to leave him yet though, or even continue to walk alone.

"Walk with me for a little while? Please?"

It wasn't quite an admission of fear, but Yousif could easily tell it was the closest she was going to get to admitting she was nervous. Of course he couldn't blame her. Walking through this dark unknown alone for so long had to be intimidating.

"I suppose I could. For a little while at least."

The tension in Elizabeth's body drained out as relief spread through her. She nearly skipped over to him and grabbed his hand. As they started walking in silence she leaned against his arm. Yousif had been her best friend and rock during the hardest time of her life. He'd given her the support she'd needed when she'd been lost and alone. Now, in a time of similar need, he could do the same thing for her again.

Elizabeth had no idea how long they walked together, not a single word exchanged between them. Finally though, Yousif came to a sudden stop. He pulled her hand to his lips and lightly kissed her knuckles in a very courtly gesture.

"Go make your mark, Elizabeth. It's your time now."

The direct words weren't said, but Elizabeth knew that was their goodbye.

"I won't let you down."

Squeezing his hand in thanks, she turned away to continue her solitary journey. There were things she had to accomplish on the other side, so she had to make it back there no matter what.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"You almost went to jail?!"

The voice boomed out unexpectedly and completely shattered the silence. It startled Elizabeth so badly that she actually jumped. Even after she discovered who had spoken – George Peters, who definitely wasn't going to hurt her – her heart was still nearly pounding out of her chest in terror. George kept on talking, either completely oblivious to Elizabeth's continued fright or totally unconcerned by it.

"What happened to the intelligent Bess that I knew? And here they all thought I was the one who'd lost it. Bah!"

At first Elizabeth thought he was talking about when she went to jail to reverse the family separation at the Mexican border, but she quickly realized he was talking about her near miss on an espionage and treason charge. The charge had felt completely ridiculous then, and it certainly didn't feel any less ridiculous so many years later. That her friend wouldn't be able to see it for as crazy as it was made her rather annoyed, especially since the reason she'd nearly wound up in jail was partially because of him.

"After all this time, that's what you have to say to me, George? It was one tiny mistake based on a completely logical assumption!" Elizabeth retorted. "I solved your murder, Vincent Marsh's murder, and prevented a complete overthrow of the Iranian government at the hands of the United States all with little to no information to go on since you told me next to nothing! And you're complaining about my one mistake?"

George scoffed.

"Well of course you did all that. Never had any doubt that you would figure it all out. You've always been good, Bess. Even better now, I suspect. President of the United States. I always knew you would rise up the ranks, but even I wouldn't have guessed it would be that high. Very impressive. And you're probably one of the few presidents that was almost arrested for treason before being elected."

"George!"

He burst out laughing, leaving Elizabeth caught between wanting to strangle him and hug him.

"I've always had to tease you over your mistakes, Bess. Haven't been able to do it in years, so I had to make this a good one. And you can't blame me for it. You were the one that provided me such good ammunition after all."

Elizabeth crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head at him, but her facial expression gave her away. She just couldn't quite hold back the edge of a smile. George had always teased her about any stupid mistakes she'd made. It had been part of their relationship all the way back to when they'd first met in the CIA. As a group, they'd all poked at each other's mess ups to try and alleviate the guilt and tension that always came after. Her mistake of sharing a classified document with Henry had been a major moment of stupidity too. It was actually very fitting that he call her out on it, now that she thought about it.

George read her expression and grinned broadly at her.

"Ah, see. I knew you couldn't blame me."

"I'm giving you a pass since I've missed you so much."

"So that's all it is, huh?" he teased before his expression sobered. "Thank you, by the way, for solving those mysteries and preventing our country from ending up in a very nasty predicament."

Elizabeth nodded. There were times when she had a hard time accepting praise for what she had done. This was definitely one of those times. Personally she just wished it had never happened. If it hadn't, so many people would still be alive and Juliet wouldn't be in prison.

"I'm glad I could at least clear your name in the end. You didn't deserve to go out by suicide."

"That was just a side note in what you did," George told her with a wave of his hand. "I was talking about finding the other answers and stopping the coup."

"I just did what I had to do."

"No, Bess. You didn't _have_ to do most of what you did, but you did it anyway simply because it was the _right_ thing to do. Certainly wasn't the easy thing, but it was the right thing. That's one of your stand out qualities, you know. You never look for the easy way out. You look for the best solution, the right solution, no matter what anybody else thinks. You're not afraid to rock the boat either, and that, _that's_ what this country needs right now. It's one of the reasons you'll make such an amazing president, and it's what's going to put you on level with the greats. Washington. Lincoln. Kennedy. McCord. You're going to fix things and put us back on the right track to being greater than we've been before."

Elizabeth bowed her head and bit her lip. It wasn't the first time that someone had said she would make a great president and bring about real change. She believed it herself, but there was always that niggling doubt in the back of her mind that maybe she wasn't capable of being what everyone thought she was. George's comparison brought the doubts right up to the surface and put a glaring spotlight on them. He was lumping her in with the real history makers, but deep down she had to wonder if she would reach beyond the mere footnotes, presidents not even remembered by the average person. Fillmore. Buchanan. Tyler. Van Buren.

Here, unlike back in the real world, she didn't have to hide those doubts. She could be completely honest about one of her deepest fears. A fear she had only shared with Henry. George would understand, and he wouldn't judge her for it.

"That's an incredibly high bar, George. What if I can't do it? What if we're all overestimating my ability?"

"Bess, you're more than capable of all of that. Your abilities have only been tested. You have never found your limits, and if you ask me you never will find them. The minute you find something blocking your way you find a way around it somehow. You always have and you always will. If you ever hit the ceiling of your abilities you'll just go down first, or some other such craziness that makes sense only to you yet works anyway, and get above that ceiling. I still don't understand how you make most of what you come up with work, but you do. That's the way you are, Bess. It's built into you."

George did have a point. As she'd mentioned on her first few days of the job as Secretary of State, she'd never met a situation where she didn't have a choice. Nor had she met a problem where she hadn't been able to come up with some kind of answer. It may not have been the perfect one, as that didn't often exist in politics, but it had always been a decent one. She had never let any situation, no matter how difficult, stop her before, and she certainly wasn't going to start now. A slight smile tugged at the edge of her lips.

"Thank you, George."

"You're welcome, love. Now go get to it. You have a lot ahead of you to do, and there's only so much time left if you still want the opportunity to do those things."

"Right."

Feeling much lighter than before, Elizabeth took off at a jog. If George was saying she didn't have a lot of time left, then she needed to make some of it up. There was no way she was going to let herself get trapped here just because she took her time. Too much still needed to be done, and if George was right, she was the only one who would be able to do it.

O . o . O . o . O

Even though this place apparently ran completely on willpower, it turned out that Elizabeth simply didn't have much will to run. That lack of willpower was probably why none of her plans to do consistent runs to stay in shape ever panned out. Before long she had slowed to a walk, though her thoughts continued to race ahead. She had run into quite a few people already and had to wonder who else she would meet. Elizabeth had never met Vincent Marsh, but she was curious if she was about to. He had died right before George, so he could logically be the next one she met. Even though he was a complete stranger, his death had played such a big role in her life. That might be enough cause for him to turn up here. He was the reason for her start in the political arena. He was also the reason for the deaths of many of her friends, albeit indirectly. Those two connections to him brought out a very strange combination of emotions. Hopefully she wouldn't have to face them. Or him. She honestly wasn't sure if she could be civil if she did.

Of course she hadn't run across Andrew Munsey, and based on the timeline of deaths she should have long ago. They'd at least known each other. Considering that, she had to figure she wouldn't be running into Marsh either. If a relationship that had ended roughly hadn't been good enough for a meeting, then a nonexistent relationship certainly wouldn't be no matter how much that person had impacted her life. That was a reassuring thought to be sure.

So lost in her internal debate about Marsh, Elizabeth wasn't paying attention to anything else. The silence was broken by a squeal that sounded like an excited teenage girl, one she would have expected to come from Alison. Startled, Elizabeth whipped around to try to identify the source. It definitely hadn't come from Vincent Marsh, but it couldn't have been from Alison either. Her daughter was safe at home in DC, likely worried half to death but definitely still alive.

Elizabeth's newest guest emerged out of the darkness with her face absolutely alight. While it had been years since Elizabeth had seen her, there was no mistaking who this woman was. After all, she could never mistake Henry's features, and he took after his mother far more than his father.

"There you are! Oh my goodness!" Barbara McCord exclaimed as she dashed over to Elizabeth and grabbed her hand in excitement. "They all said you were coming, but I just couldn't believe it until I saw you with my own eyes."

She leaned forward and gave Elizabeth a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Oh it's so good to see you, dear, even in these circumstances," she continued without giving her daughter in law a chance to get a single word in. "You look absolutely wonderful! It's this presidency thing, I'm sure. It suits you."

"I… thank you," Elizabeth returned, somewhat flustered by the exuberant greeting.

"Now, come, come. I promised them I wouldn't take up too much time. They deserve it far more than I do. We can talk as we walk!"

Still gripping Elizabeth's hand, she started nearly dragging her forward through the dark. Still rather confused but highly amused by the entire thing, Elizabeth followed along behind her mother in law. She had no idea who "they" were but knew there was no point in asking. Barbara was an expert at keeping secrets and she had already flitted on to another subject anyway. The whirlwind of subjects was hard enough to keep up with already without trying to puzzle out unexplained pieces.

"How is Henry? I know my death couldn't have been easy for him, and then his father's and all of the troubles that came after that. Plus being in the spotlight now with where you are…"

"He's fine. Really. I think everything that happened only drew the whole family closer together. Henry seems to be handling the spotlight just fine too. He's been incredibly supportive. I couldn't do what I'm doing without him."

Barbara's eyes locked on Elizabeth's, worry evident in their depths.

"And you're sure he's actually alright? You know how he can be. Henry keeps everything locked up inside so nobody can see what he's feeling."

Elizabeth smiled and gave her mother in law's hand a squeeze of reassurance. She knew perfectly well that Henry wasn't always open about what he felt, but she'd gotten incredibly good at reading him over the years. There wasn't much he could hide from her, though his skill at that did come in beneficial when they had to deal with the media.

"I'm sure. We had a moment a few years ago, but he's been fine since. Actually, there are times when I think he handles the constant spotlight and pressures of my job better than I do."

A relieved smile graced Barbara's face, and the bounce in her step picked up again.

"Good. Good. And the kids? They're alright too?"

"They're doing far better than I could have expected. I'm very proud of them."

Even though Stevie had struggled with the spotlight when Elizabeth had been Secretary of State, she wasn't having any difficulty coping with the attention that having a presidential mother brought. Alison was doing just as well, and still actively participated in Elizabeth's career by choosing many of the outfits that Elizabeth wore to important events. Even Jason, who had wanted to run away the moment he'd realized Elizabeth was going to run, had stepped up and was handling the responsibilities of first son with maturity and grace.

"I am too," Barbara agreed. "They've grown up into such amazing young people. You tell them that for me, alright? And tell Henry that I love him, and I couldn't be more proud of everything he's accomplished, both with his work and with his family."

Barbara stopped and threw her arms around Elizabeth, holding her tight. When she let go she was beaming, though there were tears in her eyes.

"And this is where I leave you, dear. There are two other people who are just as proud of you as I am, if not more so, and they want to make sure you know it."

Barbara stepped out of the way, squeezed Elizabeth's shoulders in farewell, and gave her a slight push. Elizabeth stumbled forward, eyes on the ground as she tried to keep her balance. It was then that a voice from out of the past called out a greeting, and Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: Well, here's the chapter a lot of you have been waiting for. This one took ages since I knew it was the big important thing of the whole story and I wanted to do it right. No idea if I actually did, but hopefully you're all at least semi-satisfied with it! This is the last chapter of this story, but I had some inspiration on a little addition that might eventually be posted separately._

* * *

Chapter Five

Elizabeth had long since forgotten what her parents' voices sounded like, but when she heard that voice she knew who it belonged to without needing to look. There was no doubt. It was like she had heard his voice only yesterday instead of decades ago.

"Hi, sweetheart," Benjamin Adams greeted.

Tears streamed down Elizabeth's face and she held a hand pressed over her mouth. There was no point in trying to hide the tears as she couldn't tear her eyes away from her parents' faces. Her mother's eyes were misty with tears too, though none had yet escaped their confines. Her father was simply beaming at her, his face glowing like the sun. Elizabeth doubted whether his smile could ever get bigger than what was currently illuminating his face.

Elizabeth had had more conversations with her parents in her head than she could count after they'd passed. None of them had gone the same since there had always been so many things she'd wanted to say to them. There had been some recurring themes throughout her internal discussions, but she'd always had more than enough to tell them to have completely different conversations each time. Now, when she actually had the opportunity, she was at a complete loss for words. Even if she had known what to say, she wasn't entirely sure any sound would have made it out of her mouth when she'd tried.

Her parents had been waiting for her to make the first move, but the shock of seeing them again had left her completely incapable of figuring out how to respond. Eventually her father decided they'd waited more than long enough and took matters into his own hands.

"Who would have known teaching you to play golf would have become so beneficial."

That broke the ice, and Elizabeth was shaken out of her shock. One type of shock at least. Her father had certainly managed to shock her with his comment though.

"Oh my gosh, Dad, seriously?!"

"It is a big part of your job."

Elizabeth's jaw dropped at first. For a moment she actually thought he was being serious. Then she saw the gleam in his eyes that he couldn't hide and remembered how much of a tease he'd been. Shock shifted into a smile. She advanced on him, arm extended and ready to jam a finger into his chest to show him just how she felt about that comment.

"Very funny. You're terrible!"

Benjamin burst into uproarious laughter. Grinning, it was Suzanne that ended up swatting him instead of Elizabeth.

"You've officially lost the first hug, buster," she told him.

With that said, she grabbed her daughter into a fierce hug. Elizabeth's breath hitched again at the contact and she twined her fingers into the back of her mother's shirt, just as she had done when she'd been incredibly upset as a child. When she finally pulled away there were traces of tears on her face which she quickly brushed away. Not that there was likely much of a point in that. The moment she embraced her father she felt the same burning behind her eyes and suspected she would be crying again within moments. She managed to hold them back by focusing on something else. This time when Elizabeth pulled away there was a teasing smile on her face instead of tears.

"Admittedly golf skills have come in handy with politics, even before I became the president."

"Ah, you see! I've been totally helpful."

That sent some of the teasing straight out of Elizabeth even though her father had meant it as a continuation of their banter.

"Of course you have. I am who I am today because of how you both raised me. I became who I am because of you."

Even though their time together had been so short, more than just their death had shaped her life. They'd instilled work ethic, positivity, and determination into her as a child, and all of those traits had enabled her to succeed in whatever she did. Her parents had given her that, and she wanted to make sure they knew it.

Tears filled Suzanne's eyes at Elizabeth's words. Even Ben's eyes became misty as he wrapped his arm around his wife and pulled her against him. Neither of them had really known how Elizabeth would view them considering how profoundly their early deaths had impacted her. It wouldn't have been totally unexpected if she'd been angry with them over what had happened. To hear that she still thought so much of them made their hearts soar.

"I am so sorry we couldn't be there to watch all of your successes and see you become the amazing woman you are now," Suzanne told her.

"But we watched the whole time from here and were rooting for you every step of the way. We're so proud of you, Elizabeth," Ben added.

Now it was Elizabeth's turn to tear up.

"I wish you could have been there with me too. And I wish you could have met Henry. You would have loved him."

"Oh, baby, we _do_ love him. We've grown to know him just as you have, and I don't think you could have picked a more amazing husband. He's absolutely wonderful. Even your father approves of him, and that says something."

Elizabeth turned an amused smile on her father, and he nodded his head in agreement.

"I couldn't have asked for anyone better to look after my little girl. You make sure he knows that. And knows that I'm watching him, just in case."

He pointed two fingers at his eyes then turned them on Elizabeth to emphasize he was watching. Elizabeth couldn't help laughing. If her father thought that would bother Henry in some way, he was wrong. Henry already gave her his entire heart without knowing her father was keeping an eye on him. He couldn't be any better to her than he already was. Knowing Benjamin was watching would change nothing.

"Like that would bother him," Suzanne said, giving voice to her daughter's thoughts. "He's already an amazing husband and amazing father. He should know he has nothing to worry about."

"Just as good of a father to our grandkids as their mother is to them, and she's something else."

"You think so?" Elizabeth asked tentatively.

She had doubted her parenting ability on more than one occasion. All of her children had faced major stumbling blocks in their lives so far, and Elizabeth felt partially responsible for them. While she and Henry had joked about the fact that none of their kids had become a drug addict, there were times when that low bar felt more adequate than joking.

Suzanne stepped away from her husband and cupped her daughter's face in her hands. She met Elizabeth's eyes with a glowing warmth in her own that she hoped would seep into Elizabeth's soul.

"I don't just think so, baby. I know so. You're an absolutely wonderful mother. You love those kids more than life itself, and you've always put them first. Sure you've made mistakes, but so does every parent. You do the very best you can. If you ever doubt yourself, look at your children. All three of them turned into amazing people. Just like you."

"Thank you."

"You are very welcome." She beamed at Elizabeth and brushed a strand of hair out of her daughter's face.

_"We might have a pocket here…"_

Hardly audible, the disconnected words washed over Elizabeth as water would off a duck's back. She barely even registered them. Instead she was completely focused on her mother, who didn't appear to have heard anything either.

"I still can't help seeing my little girl with pigtails despite everything you've become."

Elizabeth's face flushed pink in response.

"I was still doing the whole pigtail thing up until Conrad asked me to become his Secretary of State."

"Literally up until that, I believe," Benjamin teased.

"Yes, Dad. Literally up to that moment. I wasn't exactly expecting a visit from the President when I started cleaning out manure."

"Oh, I bet you weren't!"

Elizabeth missed what her father said next as her attention was drawn away by a different voice drifting out of the darkness. It was muffled and vague, reaching her from out of a far distance. She didn't recognize it, and the words weren't remotely related to her discussion with her parents.

_"I think I found someone!"_

Despite straining her ears to catch anything else, the voice didn't return. Elizabeth quickly put it out of her mind and focused again on her parents. She would only have so long with them. That time would be over far too quickly, and she wanted to make the most of it.

"We knew you were going to be something amazing one day," her father explained, oblivious to the fact that Elizabeth hadn't been following the entire conversation. "To think it would be President of the United States. I must say, you far surpassed anything we had imagined."

"It surpassed everything I had imagined too. I never would have dreamed of being President. The idea crept up on me very slowly, and even once I started considering it I think there was always a part of me that didn't believe it would truly happen."

"But it did, and you've been amazing," Suzanne replied.

Elizabeth was about to comment on that when the unknown voice called out again.

_"I need some help over here!"_

Her head whipped around, trying to identify the source, but it didn't feel like there truly was one. It sounded like the words were coming from everywhere and yet from nowhere all at the same time. Her reaction to the voice was strong enough this time that her parents noticed.

"What is it, baby?" Suzanne asked, her forehead creased in concern.

"Nothing. It's nothing."

At least she didn't think that it was. While her mother didn't look convinced, her father was absolutely unconcerned and carried on as if nothing unusual had just happened.

"Now I want to know something, Liz."

"What, exactly, would you like to know?" she asked, a smile quirking her lips in a teasing manner.

"Did you seriously start a water balloon fight with Henry in public?"

The mere reminder of that incident caused Elizabeth to break into a fit of laughter. That day was still one of her best memories. It had been a hot day near the end of the semester when Elizabeth had gotten the idea into her head to surprise – and admittedly torment – Henry. She'd hidden a decent number of water balloons inside her purse when she'd met him on the campus quad. She hadn't been able to resist long enough to reach him, but she'd been more than close enough to hit her mark on her first throw. Henry's yelp had drawn the attention of everyone nearby. Not that that had bothered Elizabeth any. She'd just continued her assault as Henry attempted to escape her. It had all been fun and games until Elizabeth's last balloon had missed spectacularly and landed at the feet of Henry's primary religion professor. The balloon had broken with an explosion of water that had left Henry's professor covered from mid-chest down. Henry had never lived it down the rest of the year as his professor had found a way to bring it up nearly every class. At the time Elizabeth had been incredibly guilty, but it hadn't taken long after the year finished out that she'd just found the entire event even more amusing because of Henry's prolonged suffering. Now the incident was nothing short of hysterical.

"Yes," she admitted, rather smug.

Benjamin's eyes lit as a smile split his face once again. He was nearly as giddy over the memory as Elizabeth was.

"That's my girl."

_"It's her! It's her! We found her! Someone get a medic!"_

It was the same voice she had heard before, and she just couldn't ignore it anymore. The problem was she wasn't any closer to identifying where the voice was coming from or why she was hearing it.

"Did you hear that?" she asked as her eyes darted around.

"You heard something, sweetheart?"

Elizabeth hadn't known what kind of response her question would get from her parents since she wasn't sure whether or not they would be able to hear what she did; however, whether they'd heard it or not, she hadn't been expecting the note of sadness she caught in her father's voice. His expression mirrored that sadness, though he tried to hide it back behind a mask when Suzanne squeezed his arm. Elizabeth had no clue what any of that meant.

"What's wrong? What was that?"

"They're voices from the other side," Suzanne answered, as Ben didn't appear able to.

"What?"

_"Ma'am? Ma'am, can you hear me?"_

Elizabeth's head snapped around again even as her mother continued her explanation.

"They're meant to call you home. It means we don't have a lot of time left."

She had barely finished speaking when Elizabeth heard the voice again, calling her name. The calls were coming closer and closer together now and growing louder each time.

"You need to follow them, Elizabeth. That's how you get back."

"You don't belong here with us, sweetheart," Ben added. "You belong back there, with the rest of your family and all of the people counting on you."

The reality of that hit Elizabeth fast and hard. She was going to have to say goodbye, and that goodbye was coming very soon. Tears gathered in her eyes, though she tried to hold them back. She didn't want her parents' last view of her to include tears.

_"Come on, President McCord. Open your eyes. Open your eyes…"_

"Go, baby. Follow the voices. They'll lead you where you need to go."

Gazing out into the darkness, Elizabeth fully believed her mother was right. All she needed to do was keep walking and focus hard on the person calling her. It was time. She needed to go back now or she would miss her chance and never be able to. Despite that, she couldn't just walk away. Turning back around, she met her parents' eyes.

"I didn't get to say goodbye or tell you that I loved you last time. I'm not making that same mistake again."

She wrapped an arm around both of them and held tight.

"Goodbye. I love you both so much, and I'll miss you terribly until I see you again."

"We love you too. More than you can ever imagine," Suzanne replied after kissing her daughter's cheek.

Benjamin did the exact same thing before tucking Elizabeth's hair back behind her ear.

"We will always love you, and always look over you from here. The same goes for your brother. You make sure he knows that. When he eventually shows up here he better not still be feeling guilty or I'll kick his butt."

Elizabeth snickered softly and shook her head at him.

"I'll tell him that. I promise."

_"She's fading fast. We need to get her to the hospital. Hold on, Ma'am. Hold on." _

"Go, Elizabeth!"

The urgency in her mother's voice told Elizabeth all she needed to know. She couldn't delay any longer. Elizabeth risked one last look at her parents before turning away and moving off at a jog, ears alert for any new sounds.

_"Stay with me… Stay with me…"_

The words distorted strangely, and the next thing Elizabeth knew she was falling. Terror rushed through her in a blinding panic as she struggled to understand what was happening. Her panic only escalated when she suddenly found she couldn't breathe. It hurt. Everything hurt, now that she thought about it, and the extent of the pain took her breath away. Despite all of the pain coming from every inch of her body, she felt a comforting touch against her arm. A human touch.

"We're going to get you out of here, Ma'am. Don't give up."

She didn't intend on giving up. She'd just fought her way through an unexplained netherworld to make it back. After that long walk back home, she had no intention of winding of back there again, this time for good.

Opening her eyes had never been so difficult. She'd accomplished nuclear resolutions easier than this. The thought of nuclear resolutions caused Zahed's words to flash through her mind: _"You have never lacked willpower."_ Summoning up all of the strength and power of will she could muster, Elizabeth turned it all on opening her eyes. Every millimeter was a fight. She'd fought worse before though, and as George had reminded her, she'd never been bothered by taking the hard path. Slowly her eyes slid open, taking in the hazy light and the dust covered face looking down at her.

"Don't worry, Ma'am. Everything is going to be alright."

As Elizabeth gazed up into her rescuer's eyes, she knew that he was right. Everything would be alright, both with this and with her presidency. She was sure of that now. Her self-doubt was gone, and all it had taken was a trip outside of the living world and the help of important friends who had walked that path before her.

O . o . O . o . O

_Breaking News Update_

After the first day of searching 11 people were pulled alive from the rubble and 7 have been confirmed dead at the site of the Virginia energy conference collapse. While investigations into the cause of the collapse are still underway, preliminary reports show no sign of terrorist activity or any other deliberate action to compromise the building. At this time the FBI is looking further into possible structural failings as the cause of the accident.

President McCord was among those found alive buried within the debris. She is under the careful care of doctors at a local hospital and being treated for various injuries, the worst of which being internal bleeding and a broken pelvis. Reports are she is still in high spirits and intends to visit the other victims of the collapse. When advised against this course of action by her doctors due to the need to rest and recover, McCord allegedly responded that she would like to see them try to stop her, further supporting the belief that she will survive her experience without major implications. If a falling building can't stop President McCord, chances are nothing can.


End file.
